Fake punt fuels Spartans' victory

EAST LANSING -- Everybody knows about program wins, but if there is such a thing as a program play Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio called midway through the fourth quarter of Saturday's 35-31 victory against Penn State.

With the Spartans trailing 31-28 and facing fourth-and-5 at their own 25, Dantonio called for a fake punt -- specifically a direct snap to senior Jehuu Caulcrick who was lined up as a blocking back.

The senior started running off right tackle, but the Nittanly Lions sniffed out the play.

"Nothing was happening there and out of the corner of my eye I saw the outside open up," Caulcrick said.

So he changed directions and rushed for 17 yards around left end and first down.

"Well, it didn't look good," Dantonio said of the situation. "I really felt like we had to make a tough call there. "I checked with (defensive coordinator Pat) Narduzzi and said, 'We're going to fake it, how are you (geared up defensively).'

"He said, 'Let's go.' And I said, 'All right, we're in.' I just feel like you have to take great risks sometimes to get great rewards. It was certainly at a time probably not too many people thought we'd fake it."

Caulcrick ran for a season-high 99 yards on 22 carries.

"It didn't work out as we planned it, but guys stuck to their blocks and kept fighting and something good happened," Caulcrick said. "We weren't going to hold anything back and whatever happens, happens."

"He did one of my moves, bouncing and getting to the outside," shifty junior running back Javon Ringer said. "It was great to see him running so hard and powerful in his last game in Spartan Stadium. It was a great feeling for me."

Penn State coach Joe Paterno said the Lions played the fake perfectly.

"I think we had it where he was going to go, but the kid just did a good job," Paterno said. "I really didn't see it, but it was no surprise."

Going bowling
The reward in this case is a bowl game. The Spartans are in contention with Indiana and Purdue, teams they beat earlier in the season, for the Insight and Motor City bowls.

They also have a realistic outside shot at the Champs Sports Bowl if Illinois was to get an at-large BCS bid. The 9-3 Illini currently are 19th in the BCS rankings and would have to move up to 12th for such an event to take place.

Hawaii also poses a threat to the Big Ten getting an at-large berth if it can crack the Top 12.

"There are no deals in smoke-filled rooms," said Motor City Bowl executive director Ken Hoffman, who watched the MSU-Penn State game from the press box.. "This won't be resolved (today) and it could be Dec. 2nd at the earliest."

Thomas' record day
Junior wide receiver Devin Thomas became MSU's single-season leader in receptions with his first catch, a 19-yarder in the first quarter. Thomas broke a tie at the top with Charles Rogers, who caught 68 passes in 2002.

In the third quarter, Thomas moved ahead of Plaxico Burress into third place on MSU's single-season receiving yardage list. He also became the first Spartans player to record seven 100-yard receiving games and only the seventh to catch three touchdown passes in a game.

"It feels real good to give the team a chance to win the game," Thomas said. "I just ran my routes and (quarterback Brian) Hoyer found me. It was a situation where we trying to send the seniors out on top."

More trickery
One of the most important plays came in the third quarter when backup wideout Ryan Allison took a handoff on a reverse and threw a 23-yard pass to tight end Kellen Davis, who was tackled at the Lions' 2-yard line. Two plays later, Hoyer threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to fullback Jeff McPherson -- it was the first score of his career -- to cut Penn State's lead to 24-14.

"We've been practicing that for a couple weeks (with Allison)," Davis said. "We tried it against Ohio State with Devin, but he's got no kind of arm. He throws like a girl. But Allison has a little bit more of an arm and he was able to make the throw."

Hoyer has up-and-down day
Hoyer completed 16-of-21 for 257 yards to move into fourth place on MSU's single-season passing yardage list, but he committed three turnovers on two interceptions and a fumbled snap, which Penn State converted into 17 points.

But, Hoyer was brilliant on a 12-yard touchdown pass to Thomas in the first quarter, a 33-yarder down the middle to a wide-open Thomas in the third and a 26-yarder only Thomas could reach in the right side of the end zone with 11:04 left.

"This was something I've been working towards all season and it just shows the maturity I gaine," said Hoyer, who threw just five interceptions in the previous 11 games. "You can't let two interceptions get you down because there's 30 more minutes to play."